SpaceX's Elon Musk to launch his own car into deep space 7 December 2017

It can propel 119,000 pounds (54 metric tons)—or the same as a fully loaded Boeing 737 jet—into orbit, twice the load of the Delta IV Heavy, currently the biggest rocket in operation.

The Saturn V moon rocket, which last flew in 1973, was more powerful.

There were also two bigger rockets during the Soviet era—the N1 which was the most powerful first stage ever built, though it failed to launch successfully; and Energia which only launched twice.

The Falcon Heavy is essentially three of the California-based SpaceX confirmed its CEO Elon Musk California-based company's Falcon 9 rockets put was being serious when he tweeted his plans to send his together, with 27 Merlin engines instead of nine. own car into space SpaceX says it will cost a third of what it costs to launch the Delta IV.

SpaceX confirmed Wednesday its CEO Elon Musk A date has not yet been set for the Falcon Heavy plans to blast his cherry red electric car off toward launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, which has the Red Planet when the company's Falcon Heavy been delayed several times—but SpaceX says it rocket launches for the first time next month. should happen in January 2018.

Many wondered if Musk was joking last week when According to astronomer and blogger Phil Plait, he tweeted his plans for the Falcon Heavy's who was able to reach Musk for more details about inaugural payload to be his "midnight cherry Tesla the plan, the car won't be sent into orbit around Roadster playing Space Oddity," the classic song Mars, but will enter "an orbit around the Sun that by the late David Bowie. takes it as close to the Sun as Earth and as far out as Mars." "Destination is Mars orbit. Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn't blow up on ascent," Other items may be added to the payload as well. the famed space enthusiast and Internet tycoon said on Twitter on Friday. "Just bear in mind that there is a good chance this monster rocket blows up, so I wouldn't put anything But SpaceX confirmed to AFP on Wednesday that of irreplaceable sentimental value on it," Musk was the plan is for real. quoted as saying.

Touted as the "world's most powerful rocket," the © 2017 AFP Falcon Heavy is designed to one day carry crew and supplies to deep space destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

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APA citation: SpaceX's Elon Musk to launch his own car into deep space (2017, December 7) retrieved 30 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2017-12-spacex-elon-musk-car-deep.html

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